


Victorians on a TARDIS

by frieswiththatplease



Category: Doctor Who, Doctor Who & Related Fandoms
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-09
Updated: 2019-03-23
Packaged: 2019-11-14 07:19:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,895
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18048080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/frieswiththatplease/pseuds/frieswiththatplease
Summary: Vastra and Jenny meet 13 for the first time. But 13 meets them way too early, even before they get together. Oops. Maybe she can keep the spoilers to herself. She's like, 34% sure she can keep her mouth shut. Uh... 24%.





	1. Advanced Reading

"The mass?"

"No! Not the mass. Think, Jenny. What causes instantaneous dipole-induced dipole bonds to form?"

Jenny reviewed the notes she had taken down. Chemistry was always so much fun, but she often tripped over the difference between _inter_ molecular and _intra_ molecular bonding. She had to focus.

"Well, there is a trend, isn't there? Increased molecular mass -"

"I just taught you this! Maybe you need a brea-"

"No! I know it! The mass of the molecule correlates with, but doesn't cause higher id-id bonds, it's actually... the number of electrons! A larger electron cloud causes more polarised dipoles to form, so the bonds are stronger."

"Exactly. Good job."

Vastra smiled at Jenny. She was genuinely impressed with the girl. It felt like just yesterday that Vastra was using simple reductive models to teach Jenny about the fundamental particles. It seemed the same with almost anything she threw at her. Sword-fighting, Physics, even _Pikir,_ the discipline of Silurian deductive reasoning. Jenny might be slow sometimes, but she always figured it out in the end.

"You are perhaps the only human of this era who knows about instantaneous dipole-induced dipoles.”

"Thank you for teaching it to me, Ma'am. To think that a year ago I was out there, in the cold, selling matchsticks…” It made Jenny shiver just to think about the cold. She shook off the negative thoughts and chose to focus on the topic at hand.  “Enough about that, Ma’am, I still don't really understand why the electron clou-"

Jenny did not manage to complete her sentence, because an unmistakable sound just emanated from the living room. The corners of Vastra's lips turned upwards. Jenny shot up from her chair and dashed to the source of the sound -- she just couldn't wait to see the Doctor again. The worst part about all of it, though, was the waiting. It seemed to always take a while for the Doctor to appear at the door, eager to share his newest adventure with the two of them.

But a different face appeared. There was a woman standing at the doorway of the TARDIS. She was tall, blond, and _wait a minute, is she wearing suspenders?_

"Hello there Jenny! Don't pretend like you've never seen me before! Give us a hug, won't you?"

Jenny craned her neck, trying to look past the woman to see if the Doctor was at the controls.

"Ah, I see. Married, right? Can't make the Missus jealous. Or do you still call her Madam? I mean, she is technically a Madam if you think about it. Love it. Gotta love love, am I right?"

Jenny was very confused by the Doctor's new companion. But she was sure that this blond lady was definitely more confused than Jenny was.

"Sorry, Ma'am, but where's the Doctor? Is he still inside?"

Vastra padded into the room, and she seemed to be craning her neck to look round the sides of the door, trying to find the Doctor too.

"Are you one of the Doctor's new companions?"

The blond woman frowned slightly, started to speak, and then jogged into the TARDIS. Neither Jenny nor Vastra could see the Doctor inside. The TARDIS looked different too. More... round thingies.

"Ma'am, I don't understand. Where's the Doctor?"

The blond woman looked a bit sheepish as she walked back to the doors.

"Looks like I've messed up quite a bit. I meant to land a bit further forward. I guess I missed by... 20-something years?"

Vastra stepped forward, smiling as she did so. She seemed to understand what was going on.

"I didn't know Timelords could regenerate into different genders!"

The blond woman took Vastra's hands in hers and grinned.

"I was beginning to doubt it myself. What are the chances that I would be a man thirteen times in a row!"

Jenny finally understood. Vastra talked to her about this before. The Doctor could regenerate. And now the Doctor... was a woman! And an attractive one too. Jenny couldn't help but notice.

"Well, old friend. Looks like you and Jenny are getting along just fine! I just wanted to drop by because I saw this in a Russian bookstore, and thought Jenny would like to have it. First edition! Think of it as ... advanced reading."

The Doctor pulled out a brand new paperback book from her coat. It read, in bold red font: _Мастер и Маргарита_ . Jenny could only stare in wonder as the Cyrillic script transformed into English: _The Master and Margarita._

"It was a bit of a hassle to sonic that but now it translates as you read. I can't wait to discuss it with you when you're done! Margarita reminds me a bit of you."

"Thank you, Doctor. I- I like your suspenders. You look very … nice. I think being a woman suits you."

"I think being a woman suits you too! And for you, Vastra, yer old lizard, I thought you might like this. Some more music."

The Doctor dipped back into the TARDIS and produced a thick stack of records _._ The last time the Doctor came, he gave them a record by _Aretha Franklin_. Vastra could not stop playing it for days. Jenny braced herself to hear the new records over and over again for the next few months. The Silurian brought the stack over to the phonograph shelf, placing them delicately in front of the growing collection she had labelled “Human Music”.

Vastra could not help but feel fondly for the melodies, which were sometimes fast or slow, rhythmic and almost stunningly mathematical, yet organic all the same. _Only humans,_ the Doctor had said, _could make an infinite number of songs from the same, tired few notes and chords. Only humans can articulate their experiences through soundwaves._ Silurians had novels, dramas, even poetry, but nothing came close to the music humans have. Vastra realised that it takes an eye to detail and thorough theoretical understanding, combined with instinctual improvisation to compose such a comprehensive and varied range of music within the short span of 200,000 years.

"I think you might like _Prince,_ especially. Although I don’t think either one of you,” the Doctor pointed at both of them, grinning cheekily, “will understand some of the more… colourful language he uses.”

Vastra looked at the cover of one of the records, _Lovesexy_ , which depicted a naked man posing on top of some large flowers. She guessed that maybe there was some encoded message behind the imagery.

“It’s good seeing the two of you again. I guess I'll get going then. Thanks for the compliments, but now I've got to get another present for the two of you in the future! See you again in 20-something years?"

Vastra rushed forward and held the Doctor's shoulder.

"Stay for tea? Jenny and I haven't seen you in months, and we would love to talk to you for a while before you go. Jenny has just set up this beautiful conservatory with some ferns, it's nice and warm."

The Doctor grinned again. Jenny was starting to like this version of the Doctor, eternally grinning.

"Of course, of course! And I've always wondered who set up that wonderful room, with the ferns. Let's have some tea, then, shall we?


	2. The Looping Library

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jenny and Vastra learn more about each other in the Looping Library, on board the TARDIS.

"And that's how we captured the human bee."

Jenny sighed as she recalled that evening. It was the first time Vastra ever showed any form of intimacy towards her. Nowadays, it was normal for Vastra to do all sorts of kind gestures. Once, she even made Jenny a small blade out of brass, which she said was often given to Silurian soldiers who were worthy enough for combat. The Silurian was so intelligent, and eager to prove her kindness. Her apparent brashness was just a matter of misunderstanding, Jenny realised. And Jenny found her cheekiness charming enough that even little comments sent her stomach aflutter. Earlier this morning, when she suggested that Vastra continue with her Chemistry instruction, Vastra had quipped that there wouldn't be much left to teach if Jenny were to continue at the speed she was going. To be praised about her intelligence by the Great Detective, now that definitely was the most flattered Jenny had ever been. 

"Jenny has been learning everything at an astonishing speed. Thank you for the textbooks. They are primitive, but very good for teaching."

The Doctor nodded. She had stopped grinning a while ago, and now she was smirking somewhat cheekily. It bothered Jenny that the Doctor knew how the future looked like for both of them, but Jenny knew that she couldn't ask about it. Something about ... timey-wimey. That's how the Doctor described it. But the Doctor's eyes kept darting between the two of them, as if she knew something about them that they both didn't. It was hard to tell.

"I knew the two of you would do well together. Well, I've got to go, before I say anything that might mess up the whole timey-wimey thing. I know way too much about the future to speak around the two of you safely. Spoilers, am I right?"

Jenny puzzled over the Doctor's words. Surely nothing bad would happen in the future, right? She feared that the Doctor knew undesirable information, and that she was hiding it from them. But... the Doctor gave both of them gifts, so at least both of them would still be alive. And she came bearing both gifts at the house, so they must both still live together in the same house at Paternoster Row. What changed, then?

The Doctor got up to leave, but Jenny rushed over to the doorway, blocking her exit from the conservatory. She really, really wanted to know. 

"Uh, Doctor. You've... never shown me the inside of the TARDIS before. The proper insides, all the rooms and everything. Could we have a look? Ma'am said there's even an endless library?"

"There is an endless library! Well, it isn't ... exactly endless, but it does loop into itself. And I do have a little Victorian corner which could do with some touch ups from authentic sources-"

"Why not bring us around?"

The Doctor’s features scrunched up. Her natural instincts were to let Jenny and Vastra in, but she was afraid of letting anything slip. Jenny and Vastra watched as the Doctor murmured to herself. “Spoilers… but the library is so cool… but they haven’t even… what if it becomes a paradox… oh my goodness…”

Vastra stepped forward and grabbed the Doctor’s arm.

“I would never pressure you into doing anything, old friend, but… I think Jenny would find entering the TARDIS a formative experience.”

“Alright, alright. But let me tell you, the TARDIS will go to great lengths to stop me from saying anything spoiler-y. It’s effective, but how many people can say they’ve been slapped by their own time travelling machine?”

* * *

 

Even after listening to Vastra’s many descriptions of the TARDIS, Jenny was completely unprepared when she entered it. She couldn’t believe how seamlessly the organic designs melded with the mechanical aspects of it. Vastra seemed impressed too. Jenny felt like it suited the Doctor -- bright patches of light from crystalline-looking objects adorned the corners of the space, and the floor almost looked like molten lava interspersed with grey solid rocks. And of course, it was bigger, like much _ , much _ bigger on the inside. The faint whirring and whooshing noises surrounded Jenny, and made her constantly aware that the TARDIS was very much alive.

“Doctor, this is just... wow.”

“I completely agree.”

Vastra was completely surprised by how much it had changed. Some parts of the TARDIS even reminded her of the caves she and her Silurian tribemates inhabited hundreds of thousands of years ago. 

A soft, appreciative hum emanated from the TARDIS’ control panels. The Doctor’s face contorted into one of revulsion. 

“Yuck, stop flirting with them, please. They’re ma-”

A hard biscuit flew out of nowhere and hit the Doctor square in the face.

“OW! Honest mistake! Also, rude! And also, where did that biscuit go?”

It took a while for the Doctor to show Jenny what all the controls did ( _ “This one makes granola bars!” _ ) and then they were off to the library. They passed an art gallery ( _ “An engineer’s dream!”), _ an observatory  _ (“Don’t even get me started on the werewolves”),  _ and a swimming pool  _ (“The other one’s down the hall by the cafe”) _ before they got to the library. 

The library was so enormous, and it seemed to stretch on and on and on, curving upwards until it hung above them and then turned downwards, forming a gigantic loop. The Doctor described it as a hamster wheel library, which the TARDIS seemed to have recently renovated after her thirteenth regeneration. 

Jenny almost felt overwhelmed by the number of books, and slightly sad that she would never be able to finish reading them all. The sheer scale of the library was humbling, and yet she could feel herself shaking with excitement to explore the place.

“So, I’ll just leave you two to walk around. If you get lost, just shout for me! I’ll be at the reading corner -- been meaning to read this!”

The Doctor held out a thick, heavy book called  _ An Incomplete History of Mattresses and Mattress Covers _ and gave her signature grin, before reaching behind a thick shelf and hauling two whole mattresses along with her. 

It was a long time before Vastra or Jenny started to speak. They were both at a loss for words, witnessing the sheer scale of the library. Vastra realised that different segments were decorated according to the theme of the books in that area. There were carnival decorations, mechanical rotor sections, even a small fireworks-themed area further away from which emanated popping and whizzing noises. 

Vastra turned to Jenny and smiled. She watched the younger woman as she looked around, open-mouthed, and spent some time admiring Jenny’s inquisitiveness. The Silurians prized intellectual curiosity above all other mental traits, and would train young, smart Silurians to become Men-Tats, who could compute and research information for Silurian communities. Vastra was one herself, and she couldn’t help but feel that Jenny would have been a perfect candidate for such training. In the past, Vastra was foolish for thinking that humans had inferior intellects to Silurians. Being with Jenny made Vastra realise how the human mind, when pushed to its furthest extents, can absorb information and solve problems in unique and novel ways. 

“Ma’am?” Jenny’s voice broke Vastra out of her reverie. It seemed like Vastra was having many more of these daydreams recently, pondering about how smart and inquisitive her companion was. 

“Where do you think we should start?”

“I- I don’t know, Jenny. Do you have any requests?”

“Yes, Ma’am, I do. But it’s no pressure on you, of course.”

“No, don’t be ridiculous, Jenny. I am interested in anything you are.”

“Well Ma’am, I’ve always wanted to learn more about the Silurian race. Your people. I’m sorry if it sounds intrusive or if it brings back any bad memories, but I’ve always wanted to know more about… about you- I mean- your people, and um- where, how your um-”

“Yes. I think that is a marvellous idea. I would love to teach you more about my people. And maybe those books have illustrations, too.”

They followed the map to find the Herpetological section, which was warm and humid. Ferns and moss seemed to grow out of the bookshelves, which were all shades of green and yellow. Vastra explained that ancient Silurian literature used to be stored in large codexes, which were bound from the top instead of the side, and contained a loopy, angled script that was to be read vertically. The most modern texts were stored in frosted, glass-like crystal panels which had thousands of pages worth of data encoded within them. The modern Silurian script looked strikingly similar to ancient Brahmic-Javanese script, which was read horizontally from right to left. There were books about Silurian biology, history, scientific discovery and literature. She picked out the titles which sparked her curiosity the most: 

_The Advanced Theory of Pikir: Finding Clarity in the Mind’s Fog_ by La’ila Gor-Al  
_Southern Falsa-fah 101_ by Men-Tat Rorla Faslh  
_The Synthesis of Vontixpa and other Hallucinatory Drugs_ by Kas-tur Par  
_Moral Acuity_ as Told By the Great Storyteller Kra-to  
_Sacred Shapes and Mandalas_ by Lo-hrot Lof and Pak-tur Par

Jenny was just about to move along, when one of the crystal panels caught her eye.

_ Warrior Forms and Meditations _ by Men-Tat Ne-ve Va’stra

She couldn’t believe her eyes. She had seen the name “Ne-Ve Va’stra” before, and was fairly convinced that it is Vastra’s full name. She quickly grabbed the panel and brought it over to Vastra, who had picked out certain books for Jenny to look at. When the Silurian looked up, she saw Jenny dashing over towards the reading corner with an ardent look in her eyes. 

“Ma’am! Did you write this?”


	3. Forms and Meditations

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jenny learns more about Vastra and the Silurian people. Some extra notes at the end.

_Author Introduction: Ne-Ve Va’stra was the first Men-Tat Warrior, graduating from the rigorous Men-Tat scholar training programme in the Bukt Mountains before embarking on a 20-year apprenticeship to become part of the warrior class. Her efforts in computing better swordfighting forms for the Ginaz Swordmasters and theorising a branch of War Ethics sparked many new innovations in the field of defense. Warrior Forms and Meditations documents the main tenets of these contributions._

Vastra gasped. “It can’t be. I- I cannot believe it!” Vastra took the panel, skimming through the contents. Jenny glimpsed hundreds of pages worth of illustrations, moving diagrams and mathematical calculations.

“So you really wrote it then, Ma’am!” Jenny knew Madame Vastra was a respected Warrior, but never thought that she was something of a revolutionary, who sparked a Silurian paradigm shift.

“Indeed, I did. What I cannot understand is how The Doctor got a hold of it.”

“Well, the Doctor can travel to anywhere and any time, can’t she? Couldn’t she have just nicked it from a Silurian library?”

“No, I’m afraid it would be much harder to get a hold of this book. You see, Jenny, there was only one original copy of it.”

“One copy? You never published it?”

Suddenly, a voice emanated from behind the pair. “Yep. She never published it. This was one of the hardest books in the whole library to procure. Took forever to try and get it.” The Doctor stepped out of from behind the bookshelves, took the book from Vastra’s limp grip and grinned at Jenny.

“Ma’am, I still don’t understand. How come there’s only one copy?"

Vastra was just about to speak when the Doctor chimed in. “You see, Jenny, a big downfall of lots of major religions is not really the religious texts themselves. Most religions - Christianity, Hinduism, Zennsunni - you name it, start off quite harmless. In fact some of them weren’t even meant to become religions. The real danger brews through the corruption of those ideas. Misinterpretations. It doesn’t matter what ideologies you have or how strict your rules are about passing them down, give it a few thousand years and you’ll have people preaching the exact opposite of your ideas in your name.”

Vastra nodded. “Which is why I never published it. I theorised every chapter in my mind, and transmitted the ideas to my Warrior Sisters personally, through telepathic links. Nobody can misinterpret an idea when it is communicated directly as it was meant to by its creator.”

Jenny stared, wide-eyed at Vastra, and then at the crystal panel. “So, the only original copy was in your head.”

“Exactly. I was able to train my Sisters to receive my ideas telepathically, in their pure, uncorrupted form. They would spread it to other Silurians, forming an inter-person neural network. Telepathy on that scale had never been done before. Anyone who received the ideas in their uncorrupted form would realise the futility of trying to document them. This way, nobody, not even me, could profit off of the ideas. This became the standard for the most controversial discourse at the time. We used it to communicate political ideologies, medical ethics, genetic rights and even the reasons-”

“For war.” Jenny and Vastra turned to The Doctor, whose voice had softened considerably.

“That’s why I needed the book, Vastra. There was a time when I needed an ethical reason to - to do things... The Doctor would not. I needed a voice to reason to me that death was necessary, and that I had to cause it.”

The Doctor slumped into a chair. “But that’s all behind me now… it’s another story altogether. What’s important is that somehow, your ideas managed to help me when I was at my lowest point. You and Jenny and Str- I mean, you and Jenny have always been there for me, even when nobody else was. In the future, you will do things for me which will save me and the people I care about, over and over again.”

The Doctor got up and cleared her throat. “This book is my personal copy. Don’t ask me how I got it. I would give you a hint, but… spoilers. You’ll find out in the future.”

She winked and tucked the panel into her coat, grinning as she did so.

“You know what, how about the two of you take up rooms in the TARDIS for the night. We can have a sleepover! I heard that women often have sleepovers. Or perhaps I shouldn't believe Sappho on that account?”

“Yes, yes! Please, Ma'am. There is no paperwork to be done for tomorrow and no open cases. I finished them all on Tuesday.”

Madame Vastra could tell that Jenny was close to betraying every ladylike, Victorian custom because of how eager she was to stay overnight in the TARDIS.

Just a year ago Vastra would have ignored Jenny and dismissed her pleas as the desires of a primitive ape, but in that moment Vastra could appreciate Jenny's curious nature, and perhaps a concealed agenda to seek more information from the Doctor. She smiled and nodded her head, watching as Jenny restrained the small jump she wanted to make out of excitement before trailing the Doctor's route to the rooms.

Jenny thought to herself that _it was true, then, what the Doctor always said. Being in a TARDIS with a madman is always a guaranteed adventure._

Even if it stays perfectly stationary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Many deviations from the canon, which I hope aren't too distracting. Also, I'm sorry for all the Dune references. Just kidding, Dune is the best. Points to those who can spot them!


	4. A Mystery in the Green Room

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where there is the Great Detective, there is a mystery. Even on board a time traveller's machine.

“Maybe this one? No, too many googly eyes. Or this one? Woah! Forgot about that one, and I hope to forget about it again. Ok, this one has got to be oka- AAAAAAH”

The Doctor, Jenny and Vastra were walking down a long corridor in the TARDIS, looking for a suitable room to stay in for the night. It was proving to be a difficult task. So far, they had encountered one with bees, one that was covered floor to ceiling with a single, continuous television screen, one with way too many portraits of Goethe, a room full of coffins and one with walls which seemed to sweat.

Finally, they reached a warm, slightly humid room with green walls. It was quite large, and decorated with ferns and plants, like the ones in Vastra’s study. A few framed photos lined the walls, displaying intricate blueprints of different steam-powered gadgets. Two beds, separated by an elegant wooden nightstand, were located on the far end of the room. Closer to the door was a sparse office space, with matching wooden filing cabinets and a leather chair. Jenny noticed dust tracks on the table which showed evidence of some hastily-removed documents.

The Doctor stepped in, looking around the room. She stopped Jenny and Vastra from entering before dashing around the room, opening up the filing cabinets and checking the cupboards, which seemed to house dresses much like the ones Jenny and Vastra were wearing at that very moment. Unfortunately the filing cabinets were empty, but Jenny could tell they had only been recently cleared. The Doctor checked the beds and breathed a sigh of relief. Jenny strained her ears to try and hear what the Doctor was muttering under her breath as she zig-zagged around the room, but couldn’t make out a word.

“Alright, you’re free to enter.”

Jenny and Vastra looked at each other, matched by their expressions of confusion before stepping into the room. Jenny could see similar dust tracks indicating that there was initially only one larger sized bed, which was recently replaced with the two single beds in the configuration that they were at now.

“Doctor, is this someone else’s room?”

“Uh, yes! Yes it is. Or was. Guests of mine. Friends. They are- um, used to- or, will- stay here every once in a while. Sorry about the tenses. Time travel and whatnot.”

“And they wouldn’t mind us staying here?”

“No, no, they would be alright with it. Please, treat this like… your own room.”

Vastra examined the cupboards, pulling out dresses and nightgowns.

“These are our exact sizes, Doctor.”

The Doctor turned to Vastra, looking at her with wide eyes. “That would be… the TARDIS! Isn’t she just so thoughtful?”

Vastra’s brow furrowed. “Yes, I guess she is. Thank you for the room. It will do nicely.”

“I hope so! I’ll leave you two to freshen up. Use the announcement system,” The Doctor pointed at an inconspicuous box with a button and a receiver, “if you need anything, ok?”

Jenny and Vastra nodded, but The Time Lord could almost see the gears turning in both Victorians’ heads. She grinned and walked out of the room. _Show, don’t tell. Best advice ever_ , she thought.

The Doctor waved at the two before leaving the room, moving to shut the door behind her, but Jenny stopped it with her shoe and motioned for Vastra to stay. Vastra nodded, showing that she understood what Jenny was doing. This was a strategy that the pair had come up with after months of investigations. Jenny would talk to witnesses (in this case, a nervous-looking Doctor) to gather as much information as possible while Vastra found clues from physical evidence (in this case, a room which seemed almost too perfect for Jenny and Vastra’s first time stay in the TARDIS).

“Doctor, I have to speak with you.”

“Uh, Jenny, maybe you want to go back in and see the luxurious accommodations the TARDIS has prepared for you and your mistress?”

“I’m sure I’ll have enough time to do so later. I just wanted to talk to you in private about what you said earlier, in the library.”

“About… about the book?”

“No, no, about us. Me and Vastra. You said we will always help you, and that in the future we will do all sorts of things to save you and your friends. Now, I know all about how you can’t spoil the future for us, so I won’t ask you about that.”

“Phew. That’s a relief. There are some fixed points in time involving the two of you which I _do not_ want to mess up.”

“What I wanted to say was, everything that we do for you, we do for good reason. You have changed my life. I owe almost everything good in my life to you.”

“Now, Jenny, don’t be ridiculous.”

“No, Doctor. I am not. My health, my education, my job. Directly or indirectly, you have made these things possible for me. You brought me together with Madame Vastra.”

At this, Jenny’s features softened considerably. A flood of memories filled her mind.

“Madame Vastra is a bloody... _lizard_ from the dawn of time. She is my employer, my teacher and my mentor. She happens to also have become my closest, dearest friend. I owe this friendship to you, Doctor. You saved both of us. In the late evenings, when I am finishing up paperwork and ma’am has just come back from work, I look over at all that I have and ask myself how I got so lucky. Nowadays, even if I am tired, I am tired from a good purpose - either after sword fighting practice or three hour chemistry lectures with Ma'am... What I mean to say is, thank you. You might feel like we’ve stuck by you, even in your darkest times, but you did the same for us. We’re only joking when we say we must repay your debts, or that you must repay yours. There are no debts in our friendship. We’re just there when you need us.”

The Doctor smiled, before pulling Jenny into a brief hug. “I understand. We’re just there for each other.”

“So, Jenny, here’s me helping you out in a small way. I know what will happen in your future, and I know that you’ve been worrying about it. You’re worried that maybe your friendship with Vastra might end, or something terrible will happen in your lives. Put those worries to rest. It all turns out fine.”

Jenny grinned, and was just about to say something before the Doctor interrupted.

“I am not the only one you have to thank. Almost everything that you said was good in your life involved Vastra. Maybe it’s time you thanked her too.”

That made the younger woman’s heart skip a beat. The Doctor revelled in watching Jenny’s features morph into one of shock, before waving goodbye and skipping down the hallway. Jenny turned around and re-entered the room, her face flushed and her heart pounding.

If there was one thing Jenny Flint was good at, it’s reading people, and the Doctor’s eyes showed that she knew. The Doctor knew that Jenny Flint has been thinking amorously of Vastra for months. It was almost as if the Doctor was telling Jenny _I know how you feel about Vastra._ What’s worse, the Doctor seemed not to care. In fact, she seemed almost … _encouraging_.

Jenny closed the door behind her, deep in thought about what it all meant. _It all turns out fine_ , the Doctor said. She was so busy analysing what just happened that she almost missed what was right in front of her.

Vastra was sitting on the edge of one of the beds, looking forlornly at her clothes. Instead of her usual Victorian dress, she was wearing a white, long-sleeved shirt and maroon pants, the likes of which Jenny had never seen before.

The outfit’s material looked similar to cotton, but seemed thicker and smoother. The shoulders and forearms of the outfit were decorated with geometrically-patterned patches. The front of the shirt wrapped around Vastra’s waist, accentuating her toned abdomen and square shoulders. Her pants were loose-fitting near the thighs but hugged her calves, stopping a few inches above her ankles.

Vastra turned to Jenny, motioning for her to sit next to her on the bed. Jenny complied, but kept a distance that she felt was proper. As Vastra began to speak, Jenny noticed the remains of moisture at the corners of Vastra’s blue eyes. _Do lizards cry?_

“Jenny, I hope you have gathered the information you wanted from the Doctor?”

“Apparently not. But I think she told me what I needed to know.”

“And what is that?”

“That the future seems alright for me. For us.”

Vastra patted Jenny’s hand. “Good reconnaissance does not necessarily find every piece of information, but it must retrieve necessary facts.”

Jenny knew this phrase by heart. It was something Vastra repeated every once in a while, but the younger woman had never heard it uttered so delicately.

“And, just to test your _pikir_ skills. What have you deduced about the nature of this room?”

“I observed a few things. Firstly, dust seems to have gathered on the study table, but certain parts of the table are clean as a whistle. I bet there were documents in the filing cabinets and on the table which were removed. There also seem to be scuff marks on the floor, indicative of large furniture being moved. I deduced that a larger bed was replaced with these two, smaller ones. These mattresses also seem to be the same size as the ones the Doctor was lugging around earlier. These may seem suspicious, but I think we can assume that the Doctor was just getting ready for our stay.”

“Excellent, Jenny. Although you have missed a few details, but that is where I come in. Does this attire look familiar to you at all?”

“No, not really Ma’am.”

“Exactly. This is not Victorian attire. It is the uniform of Silurian warriors, specifically the tribe of warriors I trained with. The material is interlaced with carbon fibers which make it resistant to damage. We would wear this layer underneath an armoured vest whilst in battle. If the TARDIS had customised clothes for us, it could have made those dresses and nightgowns, but it would not have made me this uniform. The TARDIS is marvellous in its own right, but it would not have the foresight of going through the trouble of fabricating Silurian armour. Someone must have left these clothes for us. Who do you think it is?”

Jenny blinked in disbelief. The ferns. The blueprints for steam-powered gadgets. The Victorian furniture. It could not have been anyone else but-

“Us! We left it behind! When the Doctor said we should treat it like our own room, she really meant it, didn’t she? At some point in in our future, but in the Doctor's past, we will have our own room in the TARDIS, which we will decorate to look exactly like this. I will frame the blueprints of my future inventions, and you will bring some ferns in. The Doctor wanted to show us our futures, and she packaged it in the best possible way -- a mystery!”

Jenny got up, taking the photo frames off their hooks and removing the blueprints from within. True enough, at the back of each piece were her initials, JF, and a short description of each machine’s function.

At this point, Jenny was not even trying to hide her excitement. She always clenched her fists and jumped a little, every time she helped to solve a different case. Vastra cleared her throat, catching Jenny’s attention mid-celebration.

“Uh, sorry, Ma’am.”

“No, no. I am alright with your celebratory … movements, but only after the investigation is complete.”

“It… ain’t- I mean- it isn’t?”

“What about the beds?”

“The beds! The beds? The beds.”

Jenny’s face turned ashen, realising what her employer meant. There used to be a larger, single bed, occupying the space which the two smaller beds did at that point in time. If this was to be their customised room, that meant they would share…

“A bed. Singular. One bed for our room. On the TARDIS. For both of us.”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this one. Figured I would make a mystery the centerpiece of this fic, since we /are/ dealing with the Great Detective and her equally capable assistant. Stick around for the next chapter!


	5. The One About The Beds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vastra has no idea what sharing a bed means, Jenny is very upset about it and the Doctor? Well, she's no help at all.

Vastra looked over at her companion, who seemed to have lost all semblance of composure. The human had slumped to the floor and was now propping herself up with shaky elbows, mumbling incoherently.

“Jenny? Are you alright?” Unlike Jenny, Vastra was not good at reading faces or posture, but the Silurian was sure that it wasn’t normal for Jenny to become so pale and weak.

Jenny stared blankly at the wooden floors, her mind racing and yet never getting to focus on one coherent stream of thought.

Vastra stood cautiously over the bumbling maid, trying to figure out what could have triggered such a reaction. She avoided touching Jenny, sidestepping her until she reached the announcement receiver, debating whether or not to call in the Doctor. She doubted that anything was wrong with the girl, but decided not to take any chances. The last time she found the maid acting strangely, it turned out that the girl was very sick with a _fever_. Apparently humans could become too warm for their own good.

“Ma’am, please. Don’t- don’t call the Doctor.”

“Why? You seem unwell.”

“Please, please don’t. I’m not feeling poorly.” Jenny croaked. She had gotten herself into a standing position, but now her face and neck were completely flushed. A few stray hairs had come loose from her bun, which Vastra found oddly endearing.

“Then what should I do?”

Jenny averted Vastra’s piercing eyes, a hesitant expression on her face. “You don’t even understand, do you? Do you even- argh!” Her face became even redder (something Vastra did not think was possible) before she huffed and took sudden, decisive stomps towards the door and out of the room. She could hear Jenny’s loud footsteps thundering down the corridor, back towards the control room.

Vastra gathered up her clothes and chased after Jenny, determined to find out what had gotten her so agitated. As she approached the control room, she could hear Jenny’s voice growing louder and louder, before she realised Jenny was shouting. At the Doctor.

“ - so called spoilers for the future? Did you ever think that maybe this was not the best way to do it? Aren’t Time _Lords_ supposed to be smart?”

Jenny was standing imposingly in front of the Doctor, who seemed to have shrunk into the corner of the control room. The Time Lord was open-mouthed, speechless to respond to Jenny’s furious tirade. Vastra could not help but feel entertained at the unusual scene, and slightly worried that a vein in Jenny’s neck seemed just about to explode. Could such a thing happen?

Jenny gasped for air. “We are leaving.”

Vastra was almost afraid to question her companion, so she followed after the maid, exchanging confused glances with the Doctor before leaving the TARDIS.

“Jenny, I still don’t understand. Why are you so angry?”

Jenny ignored Vastra’s honest inquiry, opting to continue her furiously silent beeline towards her room. Vastra decided that whatever had gotten Jenny so upset was worth understanding. A small fear in the back of the Silurian’s mind nagged at her that perhaps Vastra herself was a reason for this sudden change in behaviour. She caught up easily with Jenny, placing a firm hand on her shoulder to stop her.

“Jenny, please tell me, so that at least you can feel better. If it was something I did, I will take note not to do it again, but it would help me greatly if you could at least explain it to me.”

Jenny turned around. Vastra got a clear look at her face, which was now a soft shade of pink. The corners of her eyes were wet with moisture.

“Oh, you daft old lizard. No, I’m sorry.” Jenny whispered. “It isn’t because of you.”

Jenny placed a hand over Vastra’s and its warmth quelled the Silurian's worries. “Let’s just have some tea.”

“Will you explain what has gotten you so upset?”

Jenny sighed. “Maybe. But tea first, please.”

* * *

 

Jenny's hands still trembled when she poured the cups of tea. Vastra felt an unexplainable force moving her own hands to steady the human's tremors, but stopped herself. Jenny needed space.

“Ma'am, I'd like it if we could just forget what happened in the TARDIS.”

Vastra tilted her head to the side, a confused look on her face. “Why?”

“Because it upsets me. It's just, it's a sign of something happening in the future. Our future.”

“Jenny, you need to explain why the Doctor has made you so upset. What does the bed have to do with anything? I am unfamiliar with what it all means.” Vastra glimpsed at the corner of the familiar blue box from the entrance to the kitchen.

Jenny sighed. “I've been dealing with some …  complicated issues recently. The bed situation just made it worse. I could tell the Doctor was trying to say something about the future and I tried to ignore it, but the bed was just… too much.”

Vastra thought carefully about what Jenny said. “What are these complicated issues? How can I help?”

Jenny looked into Vastra's eyes for the first time since her outburst and let out a small laugh.

“You can't.”

“Jenny please. You are important to me. If there is something upsetting you, I… I become upset too.” Vastra spoke slowly, choosing her words carefully. “You have become indispensable to me. I rely on you for many things, and…of the few friends I have left, you are the closest.”

Jenny let out a long breath, placing her head into her hands. Vastra felt an overwhelming urge to comfort Jenny. She felt anger at the Doctor, for causing Jenny this turmoil, but her dominant impulse was to calm Jenny down and make her feel better.  The Silurian's hand gravitated towards Jenny's, hovering above her trembling fist before holding on to it and gently making soothing motions over her tensed muscles. Jenny's hands relaxed and opened to hold Vastra's. It stopped trembling almost immediately.

“I have been thinking a lot about you recently, and to be honest I am often taken aback by how much I admire your qualities.”

“For an… ape?”

“Well, yes, initially, I thought you were quite good for a human, but you have proven your merit as an individual, and not just as a member of your species. I regard you highly amongst all the people I have met. Silurian, human and Time Lord alike.”

Jenny looked into Vastra's eyes, seeing the sincerity that Vastra was trying hard to bring across. She never thought that Vastra could get past their differing species, let alone see her as an admirable individual.

“I can hardly believe it Ma'am. I mean- the things I've learnt about you today, I could only dream of achieving. You literally changed Silurian thought, you were a scholar and warrior, I mean… How could you admire me when you've clearly done so much more?”

“People are a result of their circumstances. My society was advanced enough to give equal opportunities to everyone, regardless of their backgrounds or identities. We were encouraged to pursue paths which could contribute to the community and lead to personal fulfillment. I am determined that you would have been able to do equally impactful things if you were in such a society. But you aren't. Victorian England is unkind and … cruel to its own people, let alone a _lizard_ like myself. You know how the detectives at Scotland Yard treat me like a monster and second-guess me because I'm a _woman_ to boot.”

Jenny squeezed Vastra's hands, knowing the isolation that Vastra faced in her first months adjusting to her new environment.

“Somehow, you managed to come out of such an environment the exact opposite of everything I loathe about it. You are…the kindest person I know. You accepted me when nobody else would. You went out of your way to befriend me, even when I was filled with hatred for the people of your species. You helped me out of a dark pit of despair and made me find a purpose, and joy, and meaning in my life once again.”

Jenny's heart melted at Vastra's confession.

“You see, companionship… close companionship like that of two good friends in human societies was very rare in Silurian society. We were less social with each other, and would often do things as individuals. The closest bonds I ever experienced were in the Sisterhood of Warriors, which existed almost purely for pragmatic reasons.” Vastra took a deep breath, finding it curiously hard to find the right words for Jenny. “Our friendship means so much more to me because of this. I feel lucky to have a close friend, especially one with such admirable qualities.”

Vastra nodded slowly, satisfied with the tone and sentiment of her sentence. Her confidence faltered, however, when she saw Jenny's face, which seemed completely unreadable. The same doubt returned in Vastra's mind, making her hesitate before speaking. “Will… will you tell me about what you have been struggling with?”

Jenny looked up at the older woman and nodded slowly, downing the remaining tea in her cup almost as if she was consuming liquid courage. She stared into Vastra's blue eyes and breathed deeply.

“Ma'am, I admire you too. Every minute I spend with you, learning more about you, learning more about the world, has made me look up to you more and more. The Doctor is a right arse, but she's right. I ought to thank you.”

“The Doctor?”

“While I was talking to her, she… she made me see that everything good in my life has been because of you.”

“Jenny, I think that is an exaggera-”

“No. No, Ma'am, it really isn't. My lessons, my tools, my katana, this job, everything. You saved me. You give me credit for seeing the good in you when you were at your worst, well, you were with me at my worst too. I had no family, I had no job, I had no education.”

“That is because of your society, Jenny. Victorian England is astonishingly oppressive to people just because of trivial things.”

“And I do agree with you, Ma'am. Nobody has any right to tell me who I can or cannot be. But I didn't know that at the time. See, Ma'am, you're eager to separate me from the rest of the world but you forget I'm Victorian too. Rough as 'em. I believed the same things they do. I honestly thought I wasn't worth anything. I thought- no- I knew there was something wrong with me. For not wanting a husband, for liking … women.” Jenny smiled at the absurdity of it all. “I mean, I find it hard, even now, admitting that I like women. It's ridiculous.”

“But it is true. There is nothing wrong about it.”

“And I know that now, but I didn't back then. I've been conditioned my whole life to think that I'm not worth half a loaf of bread, and probably even less because of my… tendencies. But you make me feel like… like I'm so important. You treat me like an equal. You give me lessons and compliment me about my intelligence and my abilities and you make me feel worth it. You taught me how to treat myself the way I should.” Jenny chuckled. “It's funny to think that a Silurian was the first person to make me feel human. Which is why your friendship means so much to me too.”

Jenny placed another hand on top of Vastra's, feeling the smooth, cool scales that covered her knuckles and fingers.

“I just wouldn't want anything to ruin it, you know? You're the best thing that has happened to me.”

Jenny held back her tears, hearing the blood pumping loudly in her ears.

“What would ruin our friendship, Jenny? What is the problem?”

“The problem is, I've been developing some…  strong feelings about you.”

“What kind of feelings? Are they bad?”

“No, no. They're very good.

“Then I would not call that a problem.”

“Well, it becomes a problem because- well, you said friends were rare in Silurian societies? How about… romantic relationships?”

“They were even more rare. We never pressured people to have romantic relationships or placed such expectations on them to find such a life partner, but we celebrated the few that appeared in our communities.”

“Well, my feelings for you have passed the… threshold of friendship and… into um…”

“Romantic attraction?” Vastra's voice was almost too soft to hear.

Jenny cleared her throat and fought the blush that threatened to flush her face once more.

“Sort… sort of. I mean. Yes. But I know that it can't happen, because I mean, look at how different we are. I think you're gorgeous, I really don't understand how or why, because you're green and scaley and _so_ not human. And you probably think I'm a hideous, sweaty ape…” Jenny wiped a drop of sweat from her brow. “I'm sorry, I ruined it. I knew this would happen. I'm… so sorry. I'll go.”

The tears in the Jenny's eyes were dangerously on the brink of spilling over. Jenny got up and started to leave, but Vastra (who was impossibly fast) stopped her in her tracks. Jenny could not make out the expression on the Silurian's face.

“Did you not think to ask me about my opinion on this matter?”

“I just assumed that-”

“Jenny, never assume what I'm thinking.”

Jenny made a sound like the inflection in a question, unable to form words with Vastra standing so close to her. She felt small and terrified.

“Here is what I am thinking: that recently, I have been obsessed with your skin, and how warm and soft it is. How it changes colours. I think frequently about that mole near your mouth, and ask myself how I find it attractive even though Silurians do not have moles. I like your hair, which is soft and tumbles out of your bun every once in a while and frames your face perfectly. I have no idea why I am attracted to you but I've learned to stop questioning these things when it comes to you.”

Jenny's breathing deepened as Vastra took a step closer.

“I keep thinking about how much I would much like to kiss you, which I have read has the same implications in Silurian and human cultures, but I never thought that maybe you felt the same w-”

Vastra never got to finish her sentence because she felt two soft hands on either sides of her face, which gently led her lips to Jenny's. Her mind was blank except for the intoxicating scent of Jenny up close, and the warmth of Jenny's lips and hands and nose, which she could feel rubbing against her cheek. Vastra did not even notice her hand pressing up between Jenny's shoulder blades and her waist, pulling her closer until they stood flush against each other in the middle of the kitchen. When their lips parted, Vastra beamed down at the human, panting to catch the breath Jenny had stolen from her mid-sentence. Jenny used this time to appreciate the genuine smile Vastra had on her face.

“I, uh...”

“Wow.”

“I feel like we waited too long for that to happen.”

Jenny laughed, leaning against Vastra's chest. “Obviously.”

“Can we… could we do that again?”

“Don’t need to ask.” Jenny mumbled, before she captured Vastra's lips once more with a little bit more urgency and passion. Jenny threw her arms around Vastra's neck, bringing the Silurian closer. Vastra could feel the rhythm of Jenny's heartbeat, her warm, thrumming veins. Jenny's lips parted and she let her tongue feel Vastra's lips, which were cool and textured, but not unlike human lips at all. Vastra did the same, and thought that human lips aren't much different from Silurian lips. The Silurian could taste the salt from Jenny's tears, and the hints of tea that lingered on Jenny's lips.

Vastra's hands found the back of Jenny's neck and felt the soft, thin hairs on the base of her head, wondering how she got so lucky. As Jenny's fingers felt the back of Vastra's crests, she thought exactly the same.

“YES! Woo! Good on you! It worked!”

Vastra and Jenny jolted abruptly, their heads snapping to the source of the sound. An excited looking Doctor was standing at the entrance to the kitchen, clapping loudly before making her way to the pair.

“Oh my stars, you know, I have a knack for appearing at momentous occasions but I didn't know I would be at your first kiss! Yes! I always _shipped_ you two. _Shipping_ , that's what they call it these days. I mean, in the future.”

Jenny pulled her arms from Vastra's shoulders and walked briskly to the Doctor. Reflexively, the Time Lord jumped, afraid that Jenny might slap her.

“I really thought being a woman would make you more sensitive to these things but honestly, Doctor, you ruin everything.”

The Doctor's eyes widened and a cheeky grin replaced the look of shock across her face. “Thought you were going to slap me just now. I mean, I'm not opposed to it, I liked it the first time you did it.” The Doctor wagged her eyebrows at Jenny.

It was Vastra's turn to be furious at the Doctor.

“I will eat you.”

The Doctor's face changed again, to an expression horror as she walked backwards a few steps before stumbling back to the TARDIS. “I'll… be in here.” The two waited for the familiar sound of the doors closing before they dared to look at each other again, laughing at how incredibly stupid this all was. Vastra walked over to Jenny, holding her close and humming with contentment.

“So…”

“Hmm?”

“Are we… courting?”

“That's what Victorians call it.”

“What would you call it?”

“I have no idea. Although I'd like it if we can make this a regular thing.”

“The kissing?”

“Yes.”

“And would you be open to anything… more?”

Jenny looked up at Vastra, who had a devious look on her face.

“I think the TARDIS beds prove that the answer to that question is… yes.”

“Oh.”

“Yeah... that's what sharing a bed means.”

“Oh… oh.”

Jenny giggled, poking her tongue out between her teeth. Vastra found that ridiculously attractive.

“Maybe we should take the cues for our relationship from something other than our own future.”

“Mmhmm. Completely agree.”

“For now, can we just continue where we left off, before we were … rudely interrupted?”

“Yes, definitely. Where were we? Oh yes, right about here.”

Jenny pulled Vastra close again, capturing the green lips in her own. She couldn't help but smile, and so did Vastra. 


End file.
